The Taming of the Rake by Kasey Michaels

Title/Author: The Taming of the Rake by Kasey Michaels
Publisher/Date published: HQN Books, July 26th 2011
How I got this book: received it from the publisher through NetGalley

Goodreads summary: "Charming, wealthy and wickedly handsome, Oliver "Beau" Blackthorn has it all... except revenge on the enemy he can't forget. Now the opportunity for retribution has fallen into his hands. But his success hinges on Lady Chelsea Mills–Beckman — the one woman with the power to distract him from his quest.
Desperate to escape her family's control, Lady Chelsea seizes the chance to run off with the notorious eldest Blackthorn brother, knowing she's only a pawn in his game. But as Beau draws her deep into a world of intrigue, danger and explosive passion, does she dare hope he'll choose love over vengeance?"

I don't think the summary really does justice to the content of the book. And neither does the title. You see, the opportunity for revenge doesn't fall in Beau's lap, Chelsea puts herself in it, begging him to marry her so as to escape the man her brother wants her to marry and give Beau his revenge in return. And Beau doesn't really take her into a world of intrigue and danger, what really happens is that they elope, trying to get married before Chelsea's brother catches up with them. Oh, and Beau isn't really a rake actually. I haven't heard mention of another woman than Chelsea's sister 8 years ago...

But, regardless of the wrongness of the title and summary, this book was enjoyable. Chelsea is a smart woman who knows exactly what she wants and isn't afraid to employ sometimes less than respectable means to get it. And more power to her for it! Beau was a likeable character as well, though I didn't think he was as swoonworthy as some of his colleagues I've met in other books. I did love Puck, Beau's brother, he was such a right youngest brother, creating mischief and generally being in the way!

These characters were pretty well developed and I liked that there wasn't insta-love but something that grew, sure it only took a couple of days, but still. There was growth.

I did have issues with the secondary characters, namely Chelsea's brother and sister. They seemed stupid and petty and just cruel for no good reason. And that was really annoying! I know there had to be a villain, but still, I like well-developed villains.
I also missed the tension, there was some, but it could have been taken a lot further and made me cry and now it just didn't. I did like the banter between Chelsea and Beau and thought they were kind of perfect for each other, but there could have been just a bit more stumbling blocks on the road for me.

All in all, this was an enjoyable read, but not amazing.
My rating: 3,5 stars